Laws & Customs

Marriage: The Eternal Vow: – Unlike Harmatia and Kathra, the purpose of marriage in Bethean is not to have children, but is instead a proclaimed vow of eternal love. As long as both participants are capable of truthfully making such a vow, marriage is legal and recognised between any persons, regardless of sex, religion, or creed. Because of the finite nature of marriage, Divorce is only possible if you can prove your partner is no longer the person you vowed eternal love, of if one of the vows was said untruthfully. It is extremely rare for anyone below the age of 30 to be married, as most couples are expected to be engaged for some years, live together and at least have a few children (if you intend to) before they can truthfully make a vow that states you will ‘love each other more every day.’

Bastards: – Because of the nature of marriage, there are no such things as bastards. On the very rare occasion that a person has a child with someone outside their marriage, these children are called ‘Second Sons/Daughters’. No fault is ever put on the child for their circumstance, and laws are inplace that a ‘Second Son/Daughter’ must be provided exactly as First children.

Adoption: – Bethean has an official adoption policy. You must be engaged with another person, and have been engaged for at least three years in order to adopt children. A close examination of your life-style is given, and you must also provide a ‘reference’ from two separate individuals, who must either be parents, holy or medical person, or reputable figures.

Burial:- Unlike Harmatians, most Betheanians bury their dead in order to honour the earth for which they gained their livelihood. Going against the teachings of the True Gods, most Betheanians will bury their dead sooner, rather than wait for a mourning period. The keeping a dead body in a house for longer than three days is considered extremely unlucky.

Honey On the Tongue: – When a baby is born, they have honey put on their tongue to give them a ‘sweet mouth’. This was thought to prevent shyness and help the child learn to speak quickly. It was also supposed to help give the child a sweet temperament. An excess of salt in a child’s diet was thought to create tempers, which is why a crying child will have salty tears.

Homosexuality: – As previously stated, by Betheanian law homosexuals and people of alternative sexualities are recognised as equal in both marriage and inheritance laws. As with heterosexuals, it is illegal for persons under the age of 14 to partake in ‘invasive intercourse’. If an older participant was to have sex with a child below 14, they would tried for either misconduct or rape depending on the circumstances.